IgNoct Drabbles
by The Muses of Mars
Summary: Drabbles and ficlets written for IgNoct Haven's prompt collection. These range from simple fluff to more intimate scenarios, but all are IgNoct-centric. Please enjoy!
1. Prompt 0: A stranger enters camp

IgNoct Haven Prompt #0: A stranger enters camp.

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Shivering in the cool night air, Noctis balled himself up between two sleeping bags inside their tent as he waited for Ignis to douse the fire outside. He could barely hear the splash of the canteen water over the pleasant roar of the surf along the beach where they were camped just outside of Galdin Quay. A moment later, the tent flaps jostled open, and Ignis crawled inside, quickly stripping out of his clothes and carefully placing his glasses aside before joining the prince under the covers.

"You're cold," Noct murmured, drawing his lover close and running his hands over Ignis's clammy skin to warm him.

"I'm sure you can come up with the means to remedy that," Ignis replied in a husky tone.

Their kisses were just starting to heat up the tent when they suddenly heard voices outside. Both men froze, listening intently until they heard the sounds again.

Noct's heart was hammering. Who would be creeping around their tent at this hour, on a deserted beach?

"Shall I get dressed and chase them away?" Ignis offered in a whisper.

Before Noct could respond, and forbid Ignis from confronting a potential serial killer, a bright light flared outside the tent, momentarily blinding them.

"Nice going," Gladio could be heard grumbling from the other side of the fabric. "There's no way they didn't see that."

"Hold on a minute… I recognize that flash!" Noctis growled. "Prompto, I'm gonna kill you!"


	2. Prompt 1: Mermen AU!

Sputtering on surf and choking on seafoam, Ignis Scientia wasn't thinking about the party on the cruise ship, or how he'd somehow found himself sailing overboard; he was just grateful to be breathing air and not salt water. But he'd been miles from shore. How had he managed to crawl out of the ocean in the dark of night, when he could barely swim in a pool on a sunny day?

He opened his eyes, then opened them wider as something preposterous came into view. A man was beside him—a man who was half fish.

"My glasses!" he pleaded, praying his blurred vision caused the hallucination, and that he wasn't in fact dead and sinking to the ocean floor. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut as he rolled over and felt around frantically in the sopping sand for his spectacles. He failed to locate the missing lenses, but he felt someone's hand gently placing them on his face for him and again dared to open his eyes.

There was indeed a young man kneeling beside him in the ice-cold sea spray. But he had legs. His lap was in shadows, but Ignis assumed, of course, that he was wearing a swimsuit. But why would he be swimming at this hour, when the tide was high? And why, when the water was dangerously cold?

His own teeth were chatting as Ignis stammered, "Y-you…s-s-saved me…" It wasn't only his jaw trembling; he was shivering all over, uncontrollably. But the boy seemed perfectly comfortable in the chill night wind, aside from the concern showing on his worried brow. He was, in fact, quite beautiful. Ignis wanted to tell him so. "Y-y-you're…" he began, but could not finish. His lips were turning blue.

The dark-haired young man seemed to know just what to do. He took hold of Ignis's wrists and pinned them down to the sand as he climbed atop him, straddling his hips. He released his hold to unbutton Ignis's shirt, one the man had carefully starched and ironed for that stupid party and which was likely ruined now.

The boy pulled the shirt wide open to reveal Ignis's chest. The blond's nipples were as blue as his mouth, hard and aching from the cold. The boy leaned forward and clasped his mouth down around one, breathing heat. Then he did the same to the other.

Ignis was too stunned to resist, and admittedly excited, in spite of everything else that was happening. He didn't protest when the boy's agile fingers began unbuckling his belt or unfastening his slacks.

What happened next, he could only blame on shock. Shock from the accident, the cold, and his near-drowning. And maybe also his inexplicable desire for the beautiful creature straddling his hips.

The boy knew exactly how to raise his body temperature. He never said a word, but at that pivotal moment he threw his head back and let out a sigh of pleasured contentment. And when he looked down into Ignis's eyes, he gave him a tender smile.

The young man crawled off of him and Ignis lay panting for long moments before finally righting his clothing. This hadn't been planned, and it was doubtful anyone had witnessed the act, but it was still illegal…even if it had saved his life.

Feeling stronger, and much warmer, Ignis sat up on his elbows and looked to the side. "What's your na—?" he began to ask. But the ethereal beauty was gone.


	3. Prompt 2: Shaving

It was Monday morning, and Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum and Ignis Scientia were getting ready for the first day of school. Noct was in the sixth grade this year; Ignis, the eighth. They had been best friends almost since the instant they set eyes on each other, and despite a two-year age difference, they were as close as any two friends could be.

But something had changed this year to make the gap feel wider: Ignis had added shaving to his morning routine.

Standing beside the taller boy in front of the bathroom mirror, Noctis gazed at his friend's reflection in fascination as Ignis whipped up some foam between his hands, then used it to lather his cheeks and neck. Noct couldn't help but notice Ignis's cheekbones were becoming more prominent, his jawline sharper than it had been last school year. He looked less like a boy than a young man now.

The prince watched with baited breath as Iggy lifted his razor, turning his head this way and that as he slowly drew it along his neck and then across his cheeks, rinsing the blade after each stroke to free it of froth and hair. After he'd finished, he used a damp cloth to wipe away the remaining shaving cream. Their eyes met in the mirror, and Ignis smiled.

Noctis felt inexplicably embarrassed. He worried that Ignis was growing up faster than he was, that Iggy was smiling at him as an adult would smile at a cute child. He wasn't sure he understood why, but he didn't want Ignis to look at him that way.

The prince was reaching for the shaving cream before he even knew what he was doing and started putting it on. He lifted his chin and tried to appear nonchalant, feigning the same confidence Ignis naturally exuded. He was thrilled when he felt Ignis's eyes on him through the mirror as the blond boy dried his face. He said, trying to sound casual in spite of the way his heart raced, "I forgot my razor this morning. Can I borrow yours, Iggy?"

It was nearly impossible for Ignis to keep a straight face. There was something precious about the young prince trying to keep pace with him and acting like a grownup.

Ignis discreetly snapped the guard onto his razor blade and then held it out to the prince. But when Noctis reached for it, he didn't give it to him. Instead he offered, "Would you care for my assistance, Highness?"

Noct looked at him warily. "Why?" he asked, fearful his ruse had been discovered.

"Well, you _are_ the crown prince," Ignis answered without hesitation. "It is a servant's duty to groom His Highness." He stepped closer to Noct.

Noct seemed embarrassed. "Yeah, but…we're friends."

"We are _best_ friends, Highness, but I am also your servant. Now—chin up!"

Swallowing visibly, Noctis leaned his head back, his eyes meeting Ignis's. Ignis smiled down at him and slowly drew the razor along the prince's throat. It tickled, but Noct's heart was hammering so hard with nervousness he didn't even flinch. The way Ignis was smiling at him now didn't make him feel like a child.

The capped blade stroked safely over Noct's neck and cheeks again and again, in slow, sure motions. It was over too soon, and Ignis wiped Noct's face the same as he had his own, then he cupped the younger boy's face and stroked Noct's cheek with his thumb. "Smooth as a baby's bottom," he complimented.

Noct's cheeks flushed with pride.

Next Ignis reached for a small bottle. "Did you forget your aftershave, too, Highness?" he asked in a sincere tone.

"Uh…yeah," Noct answered with uncertainty.

Ignis opened the tiny bottle, touched his fingers to its mouth, and caught a few drops of the scented liquid. It smelled good—manly. He gently dabbed some onto Noct's face, then his own. When he'd finished, he screwed the lid back onto the bottle, set it back on the counter, then adjusted his glasses and, finally, straightened his tie.

"Ready for school, Prince Noctis?" he asked.

Noct nodded. "Yeah." His fingers twitched, but they were grownups now; holdings hands with his best friend on their way to school was just for little kids. But…for some reason, he was still disappointed. Maybe being a grownup wasn't so great, after all.

The prince followed Ignis out of the bathroom and down the upstairs hallway. The boys picked up their backpacks along the way, but at the top of the steps, Ignis reached out and took a firm hold on Noct's fingers. As Noctis followed Ignis's descent down the curving staircase, his face was warm, but his heart was light.


	4. Prompt 3: Sunbathing

Sunday was Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum's favorite day of the week. It was the one day he could forget about school, forget about his after-school job at the café downtown, and forget about his chores and royal obligations. On Sundays he went fishing. And, as always, his friend and unofficial guardian, Ignis Scientia, tagged along to keep him company and to guard his back.

But today Noct had disappeared while Ignis was hefting the prince's tackle box and fishing pole out of the back of the Jeep they'd borrowed for the afternoon, and by the time Ignis had walked from the dirt path where he'd parked and made his way down to the river bank, the prince was nowhere to be found.

At first, Ignis didn't worry. He carefully set Noct's fishing gear down on a large, flat rock by the water's edge. He considered baiting the hook for Noctis so the prince would be ready to begin his favorite leisure activity the moment he returned from the call of nature (or whatever he was doing), but thought better of it. Ignis may have learned a few things from spending so much time with Noctis while he was fishing, but only the prince knew what bait was best for the quarry in any given area. So instead he leaned the fishing pole against the trunk of a tree and claimed a soft spot of grass in the shade. He planned to do some studying while the prince enjoyed his weekly solo activity, but the minutes kept ticking by and Noct did not return.

Growing curious, and a little concerned, Ignis set his textbook aside and rose to his feet. "Highness?" he called out. There was no response. "Noct?" No answer.

His pulse quickened. Protecting the prince was his duty, his privilege. If he had failed and something had happened to Noctis… He could not bear to think it.

Ignis recalled the angle at which the prince had approached the river after climbing out of the Jeep. He followed the younger man's footsteps in the direction of the current and rushed through the woods at a brisk clip. For just a moment his throat was too tight with worry to even call out. But then he pushed past a thick patch of shrubbery—only to stagger to a halt as he suddenly came upon the prince laying on a towel at the water's edge, stark naked.

"Highness!" Ignis gasped, his eyes quickly roaming over the boy's lean spine and bare backside. "What on Eos are you doing?"

Noct lifted his head from where it rested on his arms, taking a second to appraise Ignis's flushed face and wind-tossed hair before shrugging his slender shoulders. "Sunbathing," he replied boredly.

Ignis was almost too flustered to react at first, then demanded, "Butt—er, but what about fishing?"

Noctis shrugged again. "I'm kinda tired. I'd rather take a nap."

"Oh, no you won't!" Ignis said sternly, regaining some composure now that he had a purpose. "Not without some sunscreen!" He stomped over to the prince at the same time he was rummaging through the first aid kit attached to his belt, then knelt down next Noct. "Well?"

"…Well, what?"

Ignis thrusted the bottle of sunblock at Noct. "Take it."

Noctis looked from Ignis to the bottle and back at Ignis again. He slowly grinned. "You do it," he decided. He enjoyed the way the older boy squirmed, but Ignis made a face that clearly showed he meant business. Ignis bit down on the finger of his glove to help pull it free. Now Noctis watched him with intense interest.

When his gloves were off, Ignis poured a generous amount of sunblock into his palm and set the bottle down on the towel Noct was laying on. He rubbed the lotion between his hands to coat both of them, then he took a breath, holding it as he finally placed his bare skin to Noct's.

The prince's flesh was hot from his own body heat and from the warmth of the sun's rays. Ignis's touch was vigorous, almost rough as he applied the sunscreen to Noctis's back. But it still felt pretty good, and slowly the dark-haired boy melted into the fabric of his makeshift blanket, closing his eyes as Ignis's hands moved over his upper back, shoulders, and arms. There was a pause, and Noct opened one eye to peek at Ignis and see what he was doing now. The blond was frowning seriously, as if his task was either unpleasant or terribly embarrassing, but he was doing his duty to his prince and next rubbed lotion over the boy's lower back. Noct closed his eyes and fought a grin as Ignis's hands moved even lower. He strongly doubted Ignis would go any further, and nearly opened his mouth to give up the game and tell his friend he could do the rest himself, but Ignis surprised him by placing his hands firmly on his bare buttocks.

It was all Noct could do not to make a sound. He swallowed nervously, anything but relaxed now as the handsome chamberlain massaged his ass. Ignis was a little slower and a little gentler this time. His hands moved over Noct's backside and hips, then reached lower, covering his thighs. He gathered more lotion, then finished by lotioning Noct's calves and even the soles of his feet. When he had finished, he capped the bottle and then sat back, looking satisfied.

"Well, you seem pleased with yourself," Noct remarked, taking another peek at the other young man before resting his head on his arms and closing his eyes once more.

Ignis sighed. "Never let it be said there's anything I wouldn't do to ensure your safety and wellbeing."


	5. Prompt 4: Sci-fi AU!

The rush of wind roused Ignis Scientia to a slowly wakening consciousness. When he realized he was actually alive, he tried opening his eyes, then blinked against the sting of the sand flying into them. The air billowed around Ignis and whipped his ash blond hair sharply against his soot-streaked face. He hurt all over, but it was only a stiff sort of ache. As he carefully pushed down against the ground and forced himself to his hands and knees, he was able to ascertain no bones were broken. Neither, it seemed, were his glasses, by no small miracle.

The inventor climbed sorely to his feet and rolled his shoulders, testing his joints. Good. Nothing had dislocated, either. He smelled smoke in the dry air of the unfamiliar planet, and turned in a slow circle to locate the specific site of his apparent shipwreck. The last thing he remembered was an alien planet appearing on the ship's radar. No one had ever traveled so far from Eos, but Ignis had set out to discover new worlds in a craft he designed and built with his own hands, and it had seemed his goal was within reach. But now…

The Chocobo was a complete loss; that much was evident even at a distance. Ignis didn't know if the jettison controls had finally kicked into gear and he had been flung from the ship before the moment of impact, or if he had endured the entire crash and somehow survived it to crawl from the wreckage.

There was little left of the vessel that wasn't charred or ash by now. There would be nothing left to repair, Ignis realized, so he would have to abandon it and pray to the Six this planet was inhabited by humanoid life, or at least had edible vegetation nearby. But all he saw was sand and rock, tinted the color of rust beneath a hazy purple sky. Everything was in smog and his legs felt heavy, almost as if he were walking underwater. This was definitely not the gravitational pull he was used to back on Eos. There wasn't a person or an animal in sight, never mind a source of drinking water.

 _Well,_ Ignis thought, sighing to himself, _at least I reached the Bahamut Galaxy and lived to tell about it. For now._

But tell whom?

The fire had mostly dwindled and died out, but perhaps some supplies had fared as well as he had. Ignis adjusted his glasses, wiped the sweat from his brow—this planet was bloody scorching!—and began inspecting The Chocobo to see if he could gain entry.

It was difficult to discern which was the front and which was the back end of the craft, but Ignis found an open portal where the ship's door had apparently blown off and he was finally able to climb inside.

The instruments and dials in the cockpit had been destroyed. There must have been an electrical fire, but it was out now. The displays were smashed and the dash panel had been broken in two. Ignis avoided looking at the pilot's seat; he didn't even want to think about what might have happened, or how it didn't.

Instead the engineer found his way to the storage lockers at the back of the ship. One of the three had been completely incinerated. The next caught enough of the fire damage that its contents—all the food he had on board—were a total loss. The last container, filled with medical supplies and bottled water, was mercifully intact.

Ignis gathered everything salvageable that remained into a rucksack and headed out. He didn't know where he was going, but it would be pointless to stay here.

Outside, the sky had grown dark. Everything was looking a little sickly, a little green. Perhaps the sun was setting. Until he spent some time here, he wouldn't know how long the days and nights lasted on this planet, especially without his tools handy. It felt as though it had cooled considerably in the short time Ignis had been aboard his demolished aircraft. He would need to find shelter soon, or burn what was left of the wreckage so he could stay warm tonight.

An unexpected sound interrupted Ignis's indecision, and as a large, majestic animal raced into view, its hooves thundering on the rocky terrain, it seemed his mind would be made up for him.

The beast boasted six slender legs, every bit as lanky as the limbs of the anaklaban back home, but also bore two double pairs of wings. It had a light coat of fur, Ignis noticed as it drew closer, but its long neck was scaled like a reptile's. Its head was a cross between a bird's and a lizard's, and in the center of its forehead curled a long, twisting horn. It was magnificent, and it carried a rider.

A figure swathed in gauzy material jumped down from the beast's rather ornately crafted saddle. The young man's face was obscured by a hood and mask of fabric, all but his colorless eyes, while his legs and midriff were bare. He wore leather sandals that laced all the way up to his knees and matching bracers protected his forearms and shoulders.

They stared at one another for a moment, each with an inquisitive gaze. Yet, strangely, Ignis felt no fear. The boy had no weapon that he could discern, nor did Ignis read malice in his expression. The young man's dark brows were furrowed, but it was a look of concern, not anger.

Ignis decided he would have to take the first step towards an introduction. He lifted a hand by way of greeting. "Hello," he called out, smiling. Smiles, he hoped, were a universal language.

The boy cocked his head curiously.

"It's nice to meet you," Ignis added with a polite nod. "What's your name?"

The wind picked up and tossed the boy's garment across his eyes. He clawed at it impatiently, then pointed at the sky. Ignis lifted his chin but didn't know what the young man was trying to tell him. He shook his head. The boy flung his arm out wide, pointing urgently at the deep amethyst clouds gathering on the horizon.

Ignis felt a prickling sensation along the nape of his neck. "I take it that's…bad?" he said worriedly.

The boy turned his back on him and started back toward his steed.

"Wait!" Ignis said, hurrying after him. "Please! If a storm's coming, I—"

He did not need to explain. The young man took to his mount in a single leap, then reached his arm out to help Ignis up.

Ignis released a quick sigh of relief. "Right. Thank you."

The boy was stronger than his small frame suggested. Of course, the force of the gravity on this planet likely had something to do with that. Ignis hesitated to put his hands on the other man, but the decision was again made for him as he found his arms drawn around the rider's waist, indicating this was going to be a bumpy ride. Then the young man lifted his steed's reins and gave them a sharp tug, and the beast bolted faster than any spiracorn Ignis had ever seen.

The animal's hooves were beating so hard against the rugged earth, Ignis's ears began to ache from the deafening sound. It took him some time to realize what he was actually hearing was thunder. He chanced a look over his shoulder and witnessed a dazzling display of sparks and bursts of lightning unlike anything he had ever seen. But his arms began to loosen their grip as he observed the alien phenomenon, and he nearly fell off the saddle, quickly realizing that now was not the best time to take in the scenery.

Craggy mountains appeared on the horizon and they were apparently heading straight for them. The alps were far too steep for traversing, and their mount's wings did not appear to be made for flying. The ridges seemed to be directly in their path, so for a moment Ignis was afraid they would be caught between them and the storm. But as they raced towards the rock face, Ignis saw there was a cave just ahead. Before they reached it, however, they were caught in the icy grip of the sandstorm.

The wind was fierce and bitterly cold. The sand felt like ice shards piercing his skin, and Ignis's glasses were nearly blown off his face. He pressed his face against the rider's back to protect his spectacles, but he feared they would both be lost and die from exposure to these powerful elements.

Then all at once the wind was at their backs and they were in a loudly echoing tunnel, racing onward. Ignis was afraid to look until the roar of the brutal storm outside had dulled to a whisper, and by then their steed was trotting more slowly.

When Ignis did lift his head and open his eyes, he gasped in astonishment. The cave was lit up by the reflecting glow of sky blue crystals as far as he could see. The entire passageway was made up of the iridescent shards. A shimmer danced all over the cavern walls and ceiling, and the pathway they traveled was littered with glittering pebbles. It was like being inside of a geode. He had never seen anything so beautiful. Or so he thought.

After a while the tunnel opened up into a sizable grotto. A large pool of something that looked very much like water was glimmering just in reach, and Ignis hoped it was drinkable in spite of the way the surface rippled in slow motion as though it were not liquid, but a gelatinous substance. He got an answer soon enough.

Their steed came to a slow stop and Ignis lowered his arms as the boy climbed down to the ground. He accepted the young man's help in climbing down, realizing suddenly how his own limbs were trembling with the exhaustion of having been clinging so hard to the rider and his mount. And he was surprised to discover they were both coated in a dusting of snow, not sand, as he'd initially presumed.

The boy slowly unwrapped himself from his garment, revealing a silken mane of ebony and cat-like eyes that were anything but colorless. Gazing into them, Ignis realized they were a deep grey-blue, like the sky on Eos during an encroaching storm. Here, on this strange planet, they had no comparison, and they were beyond beautiful.

As was the rest of the alien, who now stood in nothing but a leather loin cloth and his own taupe skin, watching him.

Ignis removed his rucksack and set it gently down on the ground. The boy gestured and led him to the gel pool's edge, where he knelt and showed him the cool substance was indeed drinkable. Ignis joined the boy in kneeling and scooped up some of the stuff in both his palms. It danced in his cupped hands like some exotic dessert. He parted his lips, then opened his mouth and let it pour between his teeth. It was sweet on his tongue, like fresh spring water with a splash of fruit juice. It was refreshing, and he drank thirstily.

The wind was not billowing inside the haven, but the air was still cold. The boy seemed less affected, but his curious eyes noticed the way Ignis shivered in his torn flight suit. The alien guided him around some crystalline stalagmites jutting up out of the ground and to some cloth and fur blankets. A bed.

"You…live here?" Ignis asked with surprise.

The boy stripped off his leather waist covering, the bracers, and his sandals, then crawled onto the bedding and patted it, offering to share.

Ignis told himself that clothes were nothing but a social construct that varied amongst cultures, and tried not to be embarrassed as he removed his own. The boy moved closer, offering to share his body's boundless warmth. He was so beautiful, Ignis could not help but accept it.

Some time later, he and the lovely alien were standing on a cliff, watching a menagerie of exotic birds and beasts roam a lush and fertile land, where food sources were plentiful for all. His ship was gone, and no one knew where he was, but Ignis had ceased to care. He had everything he needed: shelter, resources, beauty, and an alien boy named Noctis, whom he had come to love.


End file.
